Monday, September 28, 2009

WHO WILL BE GETTING A HOSING???

"An aggressive push to organize thousands of immigrant carwash workers in Southern California has sparked a fierce battle pitting big labor against two brothers who are major players in the Los Angeles carwash industry. The labor movement has emptied its arsenal against Benny and Nisan Pirian, entrepreneurs whose family operates five carwashes in Los Angeles County. The Pirians settled a federal labor complaint last month but still face criminal charges, a class-action suit, a union boycott and recurrent demonstrations. The carwash dispute is being closely watched nationwide as one of the latest fronts in organized labor's push to bolster its immigrant ranks. The sponsorship of the AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers underscores how such campaigns have gained mainstream footing after successful efforts to organize janitors, drywall workers and others. 'It shows that the plight of low-wage immigrant workers is now very much on the radar of organized labor,' said Ruth Milkman, a labor expert at UCLA.

And of course this is true because we have no more good paying jobs. Remember when if you did not like your job, you were free to quit and look elsewhere. Get ready people you will be washing your own car only on the days that this government will allow water to be used. Do not try to start a business and give someone a job, that is just for the government to do!

This month, union backers took the unusual step of holding a candlelight vigil outside Benny Pirian's Beverly Hills home, inviting a rabbi to join the speakers in excoriating the brothers' alleged mistreatment of workers. 'We are just looking for respect, to be treated as human beings,' said Pedro Guzman, a worker at the Vermont Hand Wash, the family flagship, who was among the participants. The Pirians declined to comment through their attorney, Mark J. Werksman, who described the siblings as Iranian immigrants who are model employers facing a union smear campaign. He said there was no advantage to workers having a union in a small, family-run business. 'The union is using my clients as a punching bag to try and flex their muscles and intimidate the carwash industry in Los Angeles to accept unionization,' he said. The unions are pushing carwash owners to sign so-called clean accords, in which employers agree to uphold minimum wage, safety and environmental laws, while also pledging to respect workers' right"